


surana and the escape artist

by cartographicalspine



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cartographicalspine/pseuds/cartographicalspine
Summary: Surana has always loved a good show.The ending of the Magi Origin through the eyes of the mage protagonist not chosen.





	surana and the escape artist

**Author's Note:**

> In this universe, Jowan and Lily went to Amell for help, and Surana schemed his way around to catch them for Irving (aka he just barged in to make everything about himself).

It hurts, Surana’s first taste of blood magic. Of course it does, because Jowan has been hurt and knows how to hurt and will keep hurting because that is what one learns in the Circle. Surana wishes he was the one who taught it to Jowan instead (no he doesn’t).

He wasn’t the focus of the spell, so it hurts and doesn’t; he was just on the outside but close enough to feel it brush. Like most things, Surana drifts right past it.

The pain becomes manageable after a time. Jowan’s magic clearly wasn’t focused, which means the pain is hideous. But his blood eventually stops trying to tear itself out of his veins in every other direction and it’s fine. 

His limbs tremble. _Absurd_ , he thinks. Jowan has no control anymore; Surana does. The trembling stops. It’s fine.

Amell and Lily lean against the balustrade guarding the stairs leading to the basement heading to the cages where they’ll be put in— 

A deep breath, a moment to focus, and they’re fine. Jowan didn’t touch them. There is no relief, Surana pretends, because of course he didn’t hurt them. The boy loves them beyond reason. He’s begging them to forgive his magic, he’ll give it up, promises and futures. Even when Amell looks away, he still takes a step toward Lily, a blood-stained hand outstretched in hope. 

Jowan doesn’t look at Surana because it was never about him. His plans failed because they weren’t Jowan’s plans or Lily’s plans or Amell’s plans. It wasn’t about him. His body feels too small and sickening as he sways on his knees; his blood isn’t still churning inside him, and yet it feels outside of him. He's outside of himself, watching something he’s not a part of again. 

From this angle, Surana doesn’t see Jowan’s face crumple and fall when Lily hisses _maleficar_. He does see that Lily doesn’t mean it, but the fear in her eyes drowns everything else out at this moment. Like Surana, she doesn’t do well without a plan. 

Jowan flees. 

Surana hears Amell’s warning, hears the templars coming, hears Lily heave a broken sob. The templars see the bodies of the First Enchanter and the Knight Commander on the floor, taste the blood that Surana tastes in the air, see the blood on Jowan’s hands, the boy running. There’s nowhere else to run but out.

Jowan doesn’t apologize to Surana, but that’s fair because it was never meant for him. It’s right. He’s right, ducking right and in desperation he looks back, fearfully, seeking, helpless, at the sound of templar armor approaching from the lower library. Irving and Greagoir haven’t stirred yet, but they will. Jowan doesn’t see the templars (two) approaching (from the main entrance) in the hall.

They’re drawing their swords, and Surana stands, staring at them. They don’t see him either. Irving didn’t see him before he learned to draw currents of electricity from within himself. Neither will they. It’s not a plan, he’s moving without a plan, and in the span of moments he knows why that throws him off.

_There are reasons for the rules of the Circle which state—_

_… there are regulations and statutes that govern a mage—_

_...there is always a plan—_

There is so much static in his head, and it lasts forever and for an instant, and then Surana calmly stops the two templars’ hearts with a forked chain of lightning. 

The lightning makes a path from his heart to theirs and he feels nothing. The lightning crackles and follows his invisible strings across the metal armor and he feels nothing. The lightning kills them and he feels nothing.

(It’s a lie, and Surana pretends. Hie heart isn’t really pounding, panic goes into a pit in his chest and it’s forgotten. His throat isn’t really clenching, fear goes in the pit, too. Jowan doesn’t really matter to him, and he keeps running, past the dead men in hissing armor, all the way out the door of the tower. None of it really matters.)

Surana lets his hand drop, not hearing the screams and shouts from the dormitories. He’s walking, walking, walking past them all. Dozens of pairs of frightened eyes, which he leaves behind with the bodies to stand watching the open door, all the way to the shore. Amell doesn’t leave. Lily doesn’t leave. Surana doesn’t look for Jowan, doesn’t seek the breeze, doesn’t turn his eyes skyward, and closes the door. 

He walks back.

  
  
  
  



End file.
